Travis Scott’s debut studio album opens with a spoken-word intro that positions the Houston rapper as a rebellious outsider. But what follows is an album by an artist who seems more like the consummate insider, thanks to its enviable roster of A-list producers and guest MCs.
He’s part of a group of rappers more concerned with texture and atmosphere than lyrical invention. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but Rodeo has so many instantly recognizable characters (Quavo, Young Thug, Kanye West, the Weeknd, Future, 2 Chainz) that the 23-year-old recedes into the background to become more like a DJ Khaledesque curator on his own album.
Again, not a bad thing when we’re getting a Justin Bieber and Young Thug team-up called Maria I’m Drunk, or Kanye West spitting about pissing, set to erratic drums and psych rock riffs. Rodeo has commercial pop moments, too – the hookiest courtesy of Future on 3500.
Scott goes for spacey sounds, stoner vibes and vocal filters, but despite the eclecticism, he’s too elusive and bland for Rodeo to amount to a stylistic – let alone a subversive – statement.
Top track: Piss On Your Grave, featuring Kanye West
Travis Scott opens for the Weeknd at Air Canada Centre on November 3 and 5.
